







In English we use the present simple tense to talk about facts or things that are always true, as well as things in general. Present simple is also used to talk about a repeated action such as a habit, a hobby, a daily event, a scheduled event or something that often happens.
In English we use 'do' and 'does' as auxiliary verbs in negatives and questions and we often use the present simple with adverbs of frequency such as sometimes, always, often, never, usually, rarely, and hardly ever.
Notes for use of present simple :
In the third person, ‘s’ is added to the verb form. For example;
work --> works
run --> runs
live --> lives
For verbs that end in 'o', 'sh', 'ch', 's' and 'x', we add 'es' to the verb form. For example;
go --> goes
wish --> wishes
watch --> watches
kiss --> kisses
fax --> faxes
For verbs that end in a consonant + 'y', we change the 'y' to 'i' and add 'es'. For example;
try --> tries
study --> studies
The table below shows the different forms of present simple :
Example Verb : Work | I / You / We / They | He / She / It |
| Positive | ... work. | ... works. |
| Negative | ... don't work. | ... doesn't work. |
Questions | Do ... work? | Does ... work? |
| Short answers | Yes, ... do. / No, ... don't. | Yes, ... does. / No, ... doesn't. |
For the verb 'to be' we use 'am', 'is', 'are' in the present simple. No auxiliary verbs are used in negative sentences and questions.
Verb: Be | I | You / We / They | He / She / It |
| Positive | I'm ... | ... 're ... | ... 's ... |
| Negative | I'm not ... | ... aren't ... | ... isn't ... |
| Questions | Am I ... ? | Are ... ...? | Is ... ...? |
| Short answers | Yes, I am. / No, I'm not. | Yes, ... are. / No, ... aren't. | Yes, ... is. / No, ... isn't. |
Present Simple Example Sentences :
Positive Examples of Present Simple :
Negative Examples of Present Simple :
Question Examples of Present Simple :
| Present simple example sentences | |
|---|---|
| Nope, as I said before, they live in Australia. | |
| But it's my favourite restaurant... | |
| It's not borrowing, it's stealing! | |
| Okay, we have all the things we need, then. | |
| Exactly, one of them is asking for 3,500, the other one is 3,000... | |
| Umm... We are married... I mean, today is our wedding anniversary! | |
| There is nothing much left to do, there are only bits and pieces. | |
| How much are they supposed to pay? | |
| Okay, maybe it's better for you to have some rest. | |
| That's why you can't find the answer! | |
| The ones at the bottom look fresher. | |
| Maybe they prefer electric stoves in shared houses for safety reasons. | |
| Thank you very much! | |
| Do your parents live in London, too? | |
| I can bring him with me when I come back for breakfast. | |
| You are lucky! | |
| That's right, we should never forget how irresponsible my housemates are. | |
| Don't you think two forks are enough for us? | |
| I really don't know, but I believe it's more than 100 years old. | |
| It doesn't matter, I think they are the same distance away. | |